Time Travel, Double Trouble
by IronChainDragon
Summary: Well, not exactly time travel, but close enough. Teddie really should have known better, but he tends to get in over his head. Like now. At least he only has to survive the year. Still, no one ever said his year had to be peaceful...
1. Grow up, Teddie!

Daichi: No real reason I'm doing this, it's just the bear needs some love.

Verity: We don't own anything mentioned here, as far as I know. And given that Dai's mind is free to my perusal...

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Over five years, several things changed for the Investigation Team. Junes was still doing fine, of course, and to visit the TV World, Yosuke had saved up money and bought the old television set. Souji had moved back just two years after leaving, and was staying with his uncle and cousin until he could afford a place of his own. To get the money, he was working with Kanji at the textiles shop, which had branched out to stuffed toys, including a special mascot doll for Junes, as a favor to Yosuke. In order to bond more with his family, he brought Nanako and Dojima to the TV World and helped them get Personas. Everyone thought it was a nice gesture, as neither of them would have to worry much, given that they would now always be able to protect themselves.

Chie was trying to get accepted into police academy, with help from Naoto, but her general impulsiveness was not helping the matter. Yukiko had taken over the inn after her parents died, but still had time for herself, and was allowing Marie to stay there until an entire identity could be fabricated for her. Although, no one really knew why they were bothering with that, as Teddie had no legal identity, and was doing just fine. Marie's answer for that when Rise asked was that, unlike him, she had no intention at working at a convenience store for the rest of her life. No one was really quite sure what to think of that.

Actually, for Teddie, things hadn't changed much at all. He was older, yes, and had more common sense, not that that was saying much, but for the most part, he was exactly the same. And everyone else, while they loved him to death, found it annoying at times. Which was why they were on the flood plains, discussing just what to do with him before he drove them all crazier than they already were.

"Maybe if we got him a girlfriend?"

"And who in town would be crazy enough to date him? I know Inaba isn't exactly the sanest town on the map, but it's hardly that bad."

Suddenly, Marie grinned. And from the glint in her eyes, this wasn't going to be good.

"I have an idea."

Everyone paled. "Oh, no."

"It won't be that bad. You see, living in the Velvet Room, I picked up on quite a few things. Such as the fact that there are infinite worlds and timelines, some of which have everyone completely crazy. I figure that the best was to have him grow up is stick him in one of those worlds for a while. Find one with enough of a time dissonance, it won't even matter, and we can temporarily de-age him and send him to high school."

"I thought the goal was to keep him from driving us crazy, not to drive him crazy."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"You're still mad at him for reading your poems out loud in the middle of the park, aren't you?"

"... Maybe just a little."

"I guess that's the only plan we have. Quick question, though? Who's going to break the news to him?" Every eye on the flood plain turned to Yosuke.

"Why me?"

"You do live with him."

"I also happen to be fond of not being frozen." Of course, he knew better than to argue with Marie, especially given that he had a weakness to lightning.

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Teddie's reaction was exactly what they expected of him. Specifically, a lot of whining.

"Honestly, Teddie, you're twenty-one. Act like it."

Calming down, the Shadow turned human sighed. "Marie-chan's still mad at me, isn't she?"

"Yeah, and when she got it into her head... we like living, and we're sure you do too, so, please, Ted... just go along with it, it's only for a year, and we have no clue where she found, or how she got Igor and Margaret to agree with it, but if you can just hold out for a year, than we can go back to pretending this never happened."

Personally, no one was certain he could even make the year, but Marie could certainly be scary. The fact that she had once created a persistent typhoon over Chie's apartment was enough reason to take her seriously.

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A few days later saw Teddie, now age seventeen, in a world he knew little to nothing about, walking to his first day at Yasogami high school. He was really beginning to regret irritating Marie now. How she'd even pulled this off was something he'd be asking once this year was over. Assuming he could still think coherently.

"Aaahhhh!"

Teddie, using the reflexes gained through hard effort, specifically, fighting in the TV World, just managed to get out of the way of the speeding bike. Actually, was that Yosuke on there?

….Might explain why the bike managed to hit a wall, a telephone pole, and a trashcan. No one knew just how Yosuke had a motorcycle license when he could barely ride a normal bike, but as he never crashed into anything on it, they never did pursue questioning.

He knew that, if this world was anything like the one he'd come from, it would be best not to interfere, but at the same time, Yosuke had put up with him for the past six years. Besides, they never said he had to just attend high school.

Casting out, he realized that his Persona had been reduced to Kintoki-Douji, but he could live with that. He did have access to all of the abilities he had ever learned, however. Yes, this had the potential to be an interesting year.

"Hey, are you all right?"

Yosuke looked up from the crash, and seemed fine, which was no surprise.

"Yeah. Say, who are you? I've never seen you around here." Frantically, Teddie tried to remember the name Marie had given him to use.

"I'm Teddren Kumada, but everyone just calls me Teddie. I'm a transfer student." That was the cover, right? Well, he was sticking with it now.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Yosuke Hanamura." So this was what it was like to make a friend under normal circumstances... well, as normal as it could possibly get for a Shadow who had become partly human in an attempt to make friends, and was living in a parallel universe for a year for irritating said friends. "Anyway, did you just... sparkle?"

And then there was that. Rise had analyzed it, and it wasn't something that came from his Persona, and it definitely had nothing to do with being a Shadow. They all just called it a Teddie Thing and left it at that.

"That's just a part of my natural charm."

"...Right."

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Daichi: This is just the introduction, it will get better. And funnier. After all, with two versions of Teddie, there's twice the cute! Yes, he may not be as naive anymore, but as you'll see, he still has that childlike charm... and the potential to be seriously annoying if he wants to be.


	2. First Day of School

Daichi: This will deal with Teddie attempting to fit in at school, with... mixed results.

Tsukaimon: We own nothing.

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Chie Satonaka had heard that they would be receiving transfer students in her class, but that hardly prepared her to see them. One of them had silver hair a gray eyes, and gave off a cold exterior. The other was the complete opposite, with golden hair, bright blue eyes, and a contagious smile.

"Listen up. These two are our new exchange students who got dumped here, and they're just as much losers here as they are there, so don't get any ideas."

The stoic kid looked up at Morooka. "Are you calling me a loser?" Meanwhile, the other boy just continued to smile cheerfully.

"Alright, what's your name?"

"Souji Seta."

"Well, Seta, you're on my shit list, effective immediately. Other kid, introduce yourself!"

"I'm Teddren Kumada, but everyone just calls me Teddie. It's great to be here!"

"Yeah, yeah, just take any vacant seat." Immediately, Chie spoke up.

"Hey, there are vacant seats on either side of me!"

The boys walked up and took the seats, Souji on her left and Teddie on her right.

"Bad luck getting stuck with King Moron. At least we only have to put up with him for a year."

"I'm only here for the year."

"Same."

"Well, then, you really only have to put up with him for a year." After this, Morooka started talking about something and everyone just tuned it out.

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After school, Teddie was packing everything up from an exhausting day of attempting to appear like he at least knew what he was doing when the alarm bells rang, calling all staff members to a meeting.

"What do you think happened?" Yukiko asked. Teddie could easily have slipped up there, but thankfully, Yosuke came up to Chie at that particular moment.

"Hey, Chie, it was a really, good movie, I'm sorry, and please have mercy until my next paycheck." And if Teddie knew the pay schedules at Junes, and he was certain he did, Yosuke would have gotten paid two days before.

"My Trial of the Dragon! It's completely cracked!" Teddie couldn't exactly see from there, but Yosuke's cry of pain said it all. Chie and Yukiko walked out, closely followed by Souji.

"Oww..."

"You know, maybe if you'd been riding your bike with both hands..."

"I get it... But I needed to hold my umbrella somehow."

"Doesn't your family have a convenience store with everything someone could want?" It was a sad day when Teddie became the voice of reason.

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Immediately, Yosuke grabbed Teddie's arm and dragged him off.

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After escaping Yosuke, who seemed to have gone temporarily insane, Teddie found himself at the gas station.

"Hello."

Turning around, he saw an attendant standing there, a slight grin on her face.

"Izanami."

"So, you know of me. No surprise, as I know other aspects of me occasionally use the Velvet Room for their own purposes, and I see no other reason for a Shadow to currently be here."

"Yeah... let's just say I made an alternate dimension form of you beary mad."

"Somehow that does not surprise me. Either way, no matter what of me you may have known before this is not the me here now. If it comes to blows, I will fight you with all I have."

"I will keep that in mind." Walking away, he felt his bag get slightly heavier, but he ignored it. When he got back to the house that had been set up for him, he wondered if that had been such a good idea.

Inside the bag, sitting almost innocently, was a mask he'd never thought he would hold again, with the Star Arcana on it.

Almost immediately, it went into an empty drawer. Yes, he had made his peace with being a Shadow, but that did not mean he wanted evidence of it out where anyone could see it.

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The next morning was filled with news of the death of Mayumi Yamano. Teddie had no clue how that was important, except that she was killed by her Shadow.

...Speaking of which, maybe he should visit the TV World, if only to make sure no one got too far in over their heads. After all, if too many people died, that would really put a damper on his school year. ...Never mind that he was being forced to attend.

Actually, he was only going in because he was bored. Which was how, after school, he found himself at Junes' electronic section, debating with himself whether or not to go in. Well, he would be debating, but... He had a tendency not to think things through.

Landing on the studio floor with ease of practice, his eyes quickly adjusted to the fog. It may have been a long time since he'd had to see through such thick fog without at least the contacts from his costume, but some things just came naturally. His vision may not be perfect, but... well, it was good enough.

When the first Lying Hablerie came out while he was walking around, a quick Bufula took care of it. A shortness of breath reminded him that it had been a long time since he'd actually fought in this fog, and never before without his bear suit.

"Wow! You beat up that Shadow with no problem, kuma!" Speaking of his bear suit...

Turning, he saw what appeared to be the past him, plus one verbal tic, and shrugged. "I've been doing this for a beary long time."

"Really, kuma? Kuma's impressed, kuma!" Was he ever like this?

"It's not a beary big deal. Anyway, I'm Teddie."

"Really. kuma? Well, Kuma's Kuma." Of course they would have different names. Marie wouldn't be that inconsiderate. At least, unless he did something really bad.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Kuma, but I should probably leave before Junes closes." Immediately, he created an exit, which surprised Kuma, but Teddie didn't really care at this point. At least, until he realized something.

This was basically an alternate version of himself, who he had just summoned Kintoki-Douji in front of. This was going to end up like when Yosuke had to explain everything to his parents, he could tell.

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Far away, a young woman turned to her friend. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes! There is definitely a Shadow in Inaba, and there has been for the past two days."

"I wonder why it hasn't done anything."

"Maybe we should send Aigis?"

"Do we need a Wild Card for everything?"

The echoing silence after that said it all.

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Daichi: Let's just say that, when Yosuke had to introduce Teddie to his parents, it got... weird. And Aigis will be making an appearance. Because it'll be more fun that way.


	3. Arrival of Aigis

Daichi: So, it turns out Teddie has a problem. Specifically, a financial problem. Probably still better than Yosuke, spending everything he earns within two days.

Tsukaimon: Well, it's a good thing they have another method of making money

Vee-Vee: Safe to say, we don't own any of this.

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"Everyone, I have some very sad news for you. One of our students, Saki Konishi, has been found dead." Upon hearing this, Teddie put away his phone rather quickly. Yes, he was playing on his phone during a school assembly. Of course, as nobody ever said they expected him to pass school, this gave him quite a bit of leeway.

"Miss Konishi's body was found this morning, and we hope that you will be kind to those who knew her in this time. In addition, due to her connection with the case involving the death of Mayumi Yamano, if you have seen anything, do not hesitate to report it. As for the good news..." Wait, good news?

A girl walked in that was rather familiar. "This is Aigis. She is from an agency that reportedly deals with these kinds of things. She will attend school here, so behave around her."

"Hello. It is a pleasure to be here. My group sensed that this may possibly have something to do with what we deal in, and sent me to operate here." But... this couldn't have happened before, right? What had...? Oh.

Teddie made a mental note to not stay in the same room as the robot girl for over a minute alone. If she had come hunting a Shadow, he wouldn't make it easy for her.

Everyone was right. He probably wouldn't survive the year.

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After class, Souji, Chie, and Yosuke were debating whether or not Saki's death had to do with the world beyond the TV. They were talking loudly enough it was a wonder more people didn't hear them.

"Did you say you were going into the TV?"

"Aigis... we can explain."

"The world inside the TV is a place where beary many Shadow's live, and Ms. Yamano and Saki were likely pushed in and then killed by their Personal Shadows."

"Teddie?"

The Shadow grinned. "Who else? I'm probably the only person here who knows much about that other world. Don't worry, if you stay beary close to me or Ai-chan it's perfectly safe." At this point, he realized exactly what he said.

"And how do you know this?"

"I've been there beary many times." Thankfully, Aigis seemed not to pursue further questioning. "So, if we're all going there, to Junes!"

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Aigis was unconvinced. "You say that we can just walk through this television set."

Teddie just stuck his hand in. "Don't worry about being able to get out, I have that covered. Aigis, grab Chie. Souji, take Yosuke." With that, he disappeared through the television entirely.

"Should we follow him?"

"I don't know. If this is tied to the murders, or my separate objective, it is recommended I follow. On the other hand, it could be a trap-" She never finished, as Souji and Yosuke had already dove through. Realizing it would be her fault if anyone turned up dead, she followed, along with an incredibly persistent Chie.

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Everyone but Teddie, upon arrival in the TV World, hit the ground hard. He winced, remembering how difficult it had been for him to adjust. He had also realized that, while he could use all of his skills, due to Kintoki-Douji being that way again, it would be more energy efficient to stick to the lower power ones for now. He had really grown to rely on his Persona, and this meant he needed to rethink his battle style, fast.

Especially since Marie had conveniently forgotten to arrange for anything other than bills, meaning any money for important things like food, he had to earn himself. Sure, he could get a part time job, but really, nobody in their right mind would hire him. So, scavenging for items here it was.

"You're back, kuma!" Teddie smiled at Kuma.

"It's beary good to be back."

Yosuke sat up. "Hey, Teddie, you know that bear?"

All too well. "We met the last time I was here, a couple of days ago. This is Kuma. He's empty inside, but that doesn't really make a difference." The younger Shadow perked up at hearing this.

"You really mean that, kuma?"

Aigis stood up, albeit shakily. "I'm not sure if we can trust him. This place is overrun by Shadows, anything here could be hostile."

"But are Shadows necessarily bad?" He couldn't help it. If he would be going to school with Aigis for the next year, despite her not needing to go to school and him highly unlikely to succeed, they had to trust each other, at least a little.

"...No. Shadows are creatures of instinct, not emotion. It is, however, highly unlikely. I have been in the business for years, and have only met one Shadow that could really be considered a moral person."

Teddie was highly tempted to correct her, say that she had met at least three, but thought better of it. Chie seemed able to sense how awkward this was getting, and quickly pitched in.

"Hey, Kuma, has someone besides us been here recently?"

"Shortly after I was last left alone, someone else was here, at least until the fog cleared up."

"What happened when the fog cleared up?" Aigis asked.

"I have an idea."

"What do you mean?"

"When it gets foggy on our side, the fog here clears, and most of the Shadows get restless. Any human there, if not already encountered them, or killed by the simple Shadows wandering about, will likely find their Personal Shadow."

Aigis looked confused. "Personal Shadow?"

"Everyone has something they like to hide, that they pretend doesn't exist." Like what he was. "Those thoughts and feelings transform into Shadows. Most are simple, discarded thoughts, but the deepest, most secret part of a person's soul become a highly powerful Shadow. It isn't limited to humans, either. Anything that thinks can have a Shadow, even if they are a Shadow themselves."

"A Shadow for a Shadow...?" This being the first time in a long time that he knew more than someone else about something, he was enjoying this.

"If one denies their Personal Shadow, it will transform into a monstrosity. It calls more, weaker Shadows to it, and a swarm destroys the original." Turning, he went deeper into the fog, only to realize none of the others had glasses. Yeah, maybe it would be better if they could see...

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Daichi: Teddie, while not exactly book smart, knows how things work. Also, is anyone else thinking that the name Shadow Teddie is kind of redundant?


	4. Summoning Persona

Daichi: This chapter will show why Aigis will not figure out that Teddie's the Shadow before it's the right time.

Verity: We don't own anything.

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"It's weird. That bear just wanted us out, but with Teddie here, he's perfectly fine."

"That is because I have been doing this for a beary long time." There it was again. Those puns. His name was bad enough, but around Kuma, the Kumada boy seemed to really get into the whole thing. He must really have liked bears. And this made her wonder. Almost as if he noticed this, he turned around. "Hey, is everything alright, Ai-chan?"

"This fog..." How could he navigate so easily? Even the best technology couldn't pierce it.

"Here you go, kuma!" She accepted the glasses from the little costume, surprised to see that they actually let her see through the fog, despite all logic pointing to the contrary. That creature had to be a Shadow, or at least similar, but she wouldn't bring that up. She was more concerned with looking for the one in Inaba.

Chie gasped. "It's like the fog doesn't exist!"

Yosuke grinned. "Wow, Kuma, where did you get these?"

"I made them myself, kuma."

"Hey, Teddie! You should get in on this!"

He shrugged. "It'd be nice, but... while I can't see beary far, I can certainly fight Shadows."

"Fair enough."

Now, were everything for Aigis going fine, she might have questioned things further. But, of course, she was going to stay in a new town, she had to go to high school again because she lost a bet, and her Social Links wouldn't work from so far away, so she'd have to forge new ones. So it can be excused if she wasn't really thinking about anything other than the fact that she would never take another bet.

And that was when the Hableries attacked.

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Teddie knew he should probably figure out a new method of fighting. Amongst other reasons, without the bear suit, his fighting stance was horribly unbalanced. Of course he'd had to leave it in the other dimension, as they wanted him to act like a normal human being. Needless to say, he was currently failing at it.

Chie shuddered. "What are those?"

"Lying Hableries. Weak Shadows that are vulnerable to ice, fire, and electricity." Suddenly, Yosuke fell down. "Oh, and their tongues are beary toxic."

"You couldn't have mentioned that before!?"

Souji stepped back, something flashing in his eyes, before a card with the Fool Arcana appeared before him. Aigis prepared to summon, as well.

"Persona!"

"Izanagi!"

"Orpheus!" With the two Personas summoned, they cried out in unison.

"Zio!"

So, to summarize, this was two lightning Personas, one of which was under the command of an experienced Wild Card, against some Lying Hableries.

...Those poor Hableries.

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Upon the defeat of the Shadows, and Kuma's realization that the humans who came along with Teddie weren't bad people, he led Aigis and the rest of the group into the liquor store. Almost immediately, they were assaulted by unfamiliar voices.

" _I wish Junes would go under."_

" _You hear about that Konishi girl, Saki? Turns out she's working for them."_

" _It's bad enough we've had so many transfers from the city messing up our lives, and now she has to go work for the enemy? I always knew that girl was nothing but trouble."_

"Those voices... those are people from town..." Teddie stepped back, and for some reason, he looked slightly guilty.

" _Saki, I forbid you from working there any longer! You know what the neighbors say about us."_

Yosuke had a pained look. "Is that... Saki's father?"

"This place is reality for the one who is here, kuma."

"What does that mean!?"

"I don't know, kuma. It just is."

"Thoughts..."

"What is it, Teddie?"

"This place... it was made from that girl's thoughts. Her feelings and memories."

"...Kumada-san, if there is something you aren't telling us..."

Yosuke stepped up to the counter, picking up a shred of photograph. It showed a girl that, from what Aigis had seen in her mission briefing, seemed to be Saki. Yosuke was right beside her.

"This picture... it was the yearly photo for us part-timers at Junes." Suddenly, a female voice rang throughout the room.

" _I wish... I had told Hana-chan..."_

"Saki? Senpai, is that you?"

" _That he was a real pain in the ass. I only treated him nicely because he was the manager's son, but of course the idiot takes it the wrong way..."_

Chie turned to Yosuke. "Hey, are you okay?"

" **No."** Turning, they saw a second Yosuke, but he expelled a dark aura from himself. **"I'm just so sorry for myself. Boohoo, poor me."**

" **Not that I'm any** **better** **."** Right next to the second Yosuke was another Chie, which had the same aura.

"W-what are those?"

Kuma started shaking, and it seemed that Teddie could only get one word out.

"Shadows..."

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This was not going well. He'd known it was a risk, allowing Chie here while Yosuke was facing his Shadow, but some part of him told him to ignore it. Most likely the same part that had told him it was a great idea to practice with his skates in the middle of the house, which led to him falling through the television set. Afterward, Yosuke had pointed out that anyone else who did that could end up in trouble.

"Who... who are you people?"

" **Simple. We are you."**

" **This town is so boring, I just want a change of pace. That senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was just the perfect opportunity to get out, to be the hero."**

" **And me. All I ever wanted was to be needed. That's why I have Yukiko. I'm nothing without her! Being here, just because someone might need me! But that's not entirely true, is it? The new kids have in all under control. Yes... running along back to Yukiko... that would make me less worthless!"**

"No, that's not true!"

"I would never think that!"

" **Oh, you aren't listening to us?"**

" **It's a shame you don't listen to yourselves more often."**

"No, that can't be..."

"No, you can't be..."

Teddie stepped back. He'd told them. It was their own faults for not listening. Prepared for battle, he beckoned to Kuma, who hid behind him.

"You're not me!"

The Shadows laughed and began to transform.

"I told them. They still didn't listen."

Shadow Yosuke and Shadow Chie were about the same as Teddie remembered them, give or take a bit. Still, all that they had with Personae were a human, a Shadow, and a robot. While he recalled that Shadow Yosuke had been weak to lightning, he had forgotten Shadow Chie's weakness, except that it was not lightning or ice.

"Say, Ai-chan... you're a Wild Card, right?"

"Why do you ask?"

Shadow Chie intercepted a Zio from Izanagi that was meant for Shadow Yosuke, taking considerably less damage that the other would have.

"That. I know she can't be weak to ice..."

"I... I only have Orpheus with me right now. I knew I should have visited the Velvet Room before coming here..."

"So... we're going to die, aren't we?" Souji questioned.

"Maybe not, if one of us can get off a higher level spell..." Aigis suggested. "Unfortunately, I used most of my SP dealing with those Hableries."

Kuma turned to Teddie. "Maybe you could use what you did when we first met, kuma!" Well, it was better than nothing...

"Kintoki-Douji! Bufula!" A sudden shortness of breath reminded him why that had been a bad idea. Well, at least Shadow Chie was down. Immediately, he had to move quickly to avoid an attack from Shadow Yosuke.

"Wow, he knocked it down!"

"Yes, but... I may be out of SP."

"I guess we could just punch them into submission."

What followed was a long and tedious battle that does not deserve any more mention or detail whatsoever, except for the discovery that Shadow Chie was weak to wind skills after Souji used her as a shield.

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"Glad that's over."

"Not necessarily."

Teddie nodded. "If Chie and Yosuke can't accept them, they'll go bearserk again. And if that happens... we may not make it."

Chie shook her head. "That's not... it can't be."

"That thing came from you, kuma."

"But, if that's so..." Yosuke was shuddering on the ground.

Aigis felt sorry for him, but it was Souji who stepped up. "It's not just you. Things like that exist in everyone."

"Right. Chie? Can I go first?" The girl's eyes were puffy, and she simply nodded.

"You're right. I was bored, and I wanted to be the hero for once. But Saki-senpai... she might have thought I was a pain in the ass, but I really cared about her. And I will catch the one who did it. But you know that already, right, me?" Shadow Yosuke nodded, and changed into something similar to the other form, but substantially less dark.

"What is that?"

"It's a Persona."

Before this conversation could continue, it seemed that Chie had decided it was her turn.

"It's true. I do want to be needed more than anything. It's part of why I stand up for Yukiko. And now... I need to stand up for myself as well. If I'm worthless without her, I just need to find my own way." Shadow Chie listened, and also became a Persona.

"How does this happen?" Souji asked.

"Personas are simply tamed Shadows." Teddie's eyes widened, as if he was contemplating something.

"We should leave, kuma. All of you are exhausted, kuma."

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After leaving the TV World, everyone split up to go home and rest. Teddie turned back.

"Ai-chan, are you okay?"

She looked away. What was with this kid? Everything she did, he seemed to understand the reasoning behind.

"I'm just a little tired."

"Right. Well, if you need anything..." But, despite it all, it seemed he truly cared. A familiar flash came over her.

 _Thou art I... and I am thou..._

 _Thou hast established a new bond..._

 _It brings thee closer to the truth..._

 _Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Star Arcana..._

So, this boy was to be one of her Social Links? She figured that that meant she shouldn't dig too deeply. After all, with Social Links, things had a tendency to become clear in time.

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Daichi: I think I overdid myself. Maybe.

Verity: You've sat at this computer for the past three days.


	5. He Really Needs a Job

Daichi: I just thought I'd throw this in for a cuteness factor.

Verity: We don't really own this stuff, we're just borrowing it to live out our fantasies.

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"Hello, Uncle Ryotaro?"

"It's been a while. I haven't heard from you in years. Hows...?"

"She's dead. Has been for years. Either way, I haven't seen you since Aunt Chisato died. And, well..."

"Well, what?"

"A friend who's staying in Inaba for a while invited me to stay for Golden Week, so if I could stop by..."

"That isn't for a while yet."

"This is so nobody makes any plans to stop it."

"...I'll consider it."

"Good. Mind if I bring my dog?"

"Don't push your luck, kid."

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Aigis looked through her Skill Cards. She really needed to get to the Velvet Room. In getting Orpheus to fill any needed role, she went through them rather quickly. All she had left were Agilao and Bufudyne, neither of which seemed practical in the current situation. Well... time to look for an entrance. It couldn't be that hard, right?

A bit later, she had found the town shrine, a liquor store, and quite a few lost wallets, but the Velvet Room was nowhere in sight.

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Opening the fridge, Teddie came to the realization that he was out of food. Which was sort of a bad thing. Especially since he had no real money. Well, time to go to Junes.

...He really needed his own television. Actually, he missed having a job. Given that he had no qualifications, and wasn't even passing his classes, getting one likely wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Given that every day in this world was a few hours for his own, he wondered how the others were doing...

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Yosuke looked away from the boards. "Think that will hold them?"

The other Persona users shrugged. "Do we have a choice but to hope that?" Chie asked.

Naoto shuddered. "To think that having Teddie leave for a month would make the children riot..."

Souji sighed. "Well, everyone, I guess this is our home for the next month."

"Yay! Every day's great at your Junes!"

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...They were probably doing all right.

Upon his arrival in the TV World, he immediately encountered Kuma.

"What are you doing here, kuma?"

"I need money. For food and stuff. This is basically all I can do."

"Isn't it dangerous here alone, kuma?"

"You could come with me..." This would be the first time he'd actually spend a deal of time alone with his other self. He wasn't looking forward to it. This would dredge up all kinds of things he'd prefer not to think about.

Of course, others would call it premptive karma for deciding to record the Midnight Channel.

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The Shopping District was hardly swarming with Shadows, but it would be easy enough to find a few Hableries. At least, it should have been.

"Maybe they're still laying low after last time, kuma." As much as Teddie wanted to agree with him, something didn't seem right. Every last instinct was shouting at him to flee. Immediately. Or else. He probably should have listened to them. Or at least the rattling chains. So really, when the Reaper came around the corner, he had nobody to blame other than himself.

"What's that, kuma?"

Teddie shrugged, grabbed Kuma, and ran as fast as he possibly could. This was one fight he couldn't win. And even if he could, he'd prefer to update his insurance policy before trying.

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A few minutes later saw the two of them hiding in a locked room in a random building.

"I hope it doesn't find us here."

"I've never seen that thing before, kuma."

"Good. It's a beary strong Shadow that will try to destroy anything and anyone that gets in it's way. If it finds us, we may die." At that, Kuma seemed to get even more scared. "Don't worry, it's more likely to go for me than you, I'm – bearly- a more noticeable target, what with the whole... human thing and all." Hadn't his plan been not to dredge up this kind of thing? It was obvious to anybody who knew him that he had picked up his planning ability from Yosuke.

"Yeah... human, kuma. At least you know what you are, kuma." And then they hit that topic. The one thing he had been hoping to never need to bring up. "I mean, for all I know, I could be a Shadow, kuma." Teddie placed his hand on Kuma's head.

"Don't worry. I can safely say you're no more a Shadow than me." Well... technically speaking, that was true. It also meant he'd have to eventually let him know everything, but... he wasn't exactly known for thinking ahead. But it was true, nothing could be more of a Shadow than a Shadow. Except for maybe the Shadow of a Shadow...

...That's just confusing.

"Thanks, kuma. Can I call you my big brother, kuma?" Now, the smart thing to do would be to say no. But Teddie, being Teddie...

"Sure." He was then hugged by a very happy little bear Shadow.

This might have had lasting ramifications on the future, but it was so worth it.

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"Bro, do you have to leave, kuma?"

"Don't worry. Next time, I'll bring you something interesting."

"Something interesting, kuma?"

"Well... mostly books..." If there were any classes Teddie had a halfway decent chance of passing, they were literature and philosophy. Mainly because he never had anything better to do, and he went through a lot of it during his little existential crisis. Which might not have been so little.

He had issues. Very, very big issues. He should probably see somebody about that, except for the little fact that nobody would believe him, and that telling people that he was a Shadow really couldn't be good for his health.

After prying Kuma off of him and leaving, Teddie came to the sudden realization that he had forgotten all about getting money for groceries.

… Oh well, he had enough to last a day. Maybe a bit more, if he sold the Hablerie tongues he'd been keeping in his school bag.

He really should see somebody about those issues.

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Daichi: This chapter started as an adorable mental image, and grew from that. If I ever get around to a title page, this will probably be it.


	6. A Better Role Model

Daichi: At this point, one should be reminded that Teddie can't act like a normal human being, because he doesn't know any.

Verity: We don't own anything here. At all.

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Teddie and Aigis were in the food court at Junes, because they had nothing better to do. According to the robot, Yukiko's image on the Midnight Channel was clearer than before, creating what appeared to be a low budget TV show. Teddie, due to a combination of needing sleep and the television that had come with the house provided by the Velvet Room being broken, never got to see it.

At least Aigis had had it recorded on her phone, and sent it to him when she realized he hadn't seen it. That video would go online later that evening. Of course, it meant that Chie and/or Yukiko would probably beat him up, but he wasn't thinking ahead.

Suddenly, across the food court, they noticed a commotion.

"Are those... Seta-san and Hanamura-san?"

"It looks like they're having a problem."

"They're being taken in for showing off weapons."

"700 yen says it's Yosuke's fault."

"No deal. We both know you'll win, Kumada-san."

"Come on, Ai-chan, I'm broke!"

"My answer is still no."

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At the Inaba police station, Souji was having a bad day. Yosuke wasn't helping much either.

"...And I promise never to bring weapons into a food court again."

"I'm really sorry about this. My friend is a bit of an idiot at times... I told him swords were cool, but I honestly didn't expect him to show some off in public."

Dojima sighed. "Look, Souji, I'm not saying this is your fault, but please talk about... less risky... subjects with your friends, all right? Because next time, honest mistake or not, I'm letting it sit on your permanent record."

"You seem in a bad mood."

"One of my wife's relatives called and said they'd be coming over for Golden Week. I can be excused for taking the potential awkwardness out on others."

This was the moment when Souji came to the realization that everyone who lived in Inaba was, in some way or another, insane. He wondered just what that said about him.

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Aigis sighed. "So, let me recap today. Hanamura-san showed up at Junes with weapons to show off to Seta-san. This led to them getting arrested. Now, Satonaka-san somehow knows about a weapon shop that is willing to sell to teenagers."

"Yeah. I heard about it at school!"

"...That just raises even more questions."

Teddie never did like visiting Daidara. There was just something different about him, that reminded him of Souji. And that was just enough to weird him out. Fight his own kind? Sure, no problem. Dive into other worlds? Daily activity. Go weapons shopping on his own? No, thank you.

Sure enough, after everyone had bought new weapons, he was stopped by the weaponsmith on the way out.

"Never thought one of your kind would show up here."

"Honestly, does everyone here know?"

"Actually, I just know because I happen to live next door to the Velvet Room. Haven't gone in since fulfilling my contract, but you hear things. And you're currently the talk of the town... well, the supernatural part of it anyway. Everyone wants to meet the Shadow that decided to run off and join the humans."

"...Don't tell Ai-chan."

"Not unless she asks. Then, I'd hafta tell her. Fool's honor, and all." Oh, right. Rise had mentioned getting that kind of vibe off of him. Of course, as the Jell-o incident had happened right after, it wasn't that difficult to forget. Although, thinking back, it wasn't all that surprising.

This just raised more questions about his life, but he did live in Inaba, and it was proven that living there causes insanity.

"...Wait, this town has a supernatural community?" That was new.

"Yeah. Got me, the Velvet Room attendants... Haven't seen Liz or Theo in some time, wonder how they're doing... I know there's something up with the new girl at the gas station. The fox at the shrine is the granddaughter of one of my team... And the owner of Shiroku Store. Her sister is a ghost who haunts the shrine. Oh, almost forgot Hisano. After her great niece died, and then her husband, we've not seen her as much."

It was official. This world was seriously messed up. There was no other explanation for it.

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Upon returning to Junes and going through the TV, the group started to make plans to find Yukiko. Well, after prying Kuma from Teddie's leg, that is.

Souji seemed to find it adorable. "He's just like a little kid."

"Kuma, do you know if anyone is in here?"

"There's one, kuma."

"Hang on," Chie said, "Something's not right about this. I mean Yukiko saying things like-"

"Satonaka-san!" Aigis called out. "Not in front of Kuma!"

Teddie grinned. "Actually speaking of what the other Yukiko said, I say that we never let her live it down."

"What did she say, kuma?"

Aigis glared. "It is not for children." In hindsight, maybe the reason Teddie was so screwed up was partly because of his choice in role models. Actually, that probably was the entire reason.

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"So, I learned to project a physical body that I can basically remote-control." The false version of Minato Arisato grinned at Elizabeth's dumbfounded face.

Pharos and Ryoji fell into laughter. "That was my first response as well!" the older form of Death choked out. Nearby, the resting Erebus gave what amounts to his equivalent of raising an eyebrow before falling asleep. Pharos had decided that Erebus could be their new pet, and Minato and Ryoji hadn't bothered to stop him.

When the former Velvet Room attendant finally managed to get her thoughts together, her first question was how Pharos and Ryoji could both exist at the same time, to which Minato just shrugged.

"Don't question it. At least, not if you want to stay sane."

"I am speaking to a remote controlled version of my lover in what is basically the one thing holding the world back from destruction."

Suddenly, Pharos stood up. "Hey, aneki, do you remember that one person talking about a test of some kind? Izzy-something?"

Sighing, Minato turned to Ryoji. "This is my life now. You did this to me, Mochizuki. I am the only sane person in a Seal full of morons."

"What are you blaming me for?"

"I'll think of a reason!"

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Daichi: The Great Seal will eventually come into play, mainly so Minato can impart some sanity to everything else. As for how that situation ocurred... figure it out yourselves.


	7. A Different Point of View

Daichi: So, a recap. Yukiko's in the TV, the team has gone to get her, Dojima's stressed out, Inaba has a supernatural community, and Minato's going crazy. Yup, just another day.

Verity: It's really a good thing we don't own this stuff. More people stay sane this way.

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"Pixie! Zio!"

"Orpheus! Agi!"

"Tomoe! Bufu!"

Teddie, Yosuke, and Kuma watched as Souji, Aigis, and Chie rolled through as many shadows as possible. Teddie and Yosuke were sitting out because Teddie's skills were high power, but highly inefficient, and Yosuke was currently recovering from a bad hit on the previous floor. It wasn't too big a deal, as long as the Wild Cards were still in the game. And with Chie on the front line, ice was a redundancy anyway. Or so Teddie told himself.

The one thing he hated most was the thought of being useless. His focus on high level skills had been useful with Kamui-Moshiri at it's highest level, but starting from the beginning meant changes had to be made, if only because lower amounts of energy to use spells meant that there would be less spells used. Or maybe...

He didn't remember such an encounter ever happening, but as if he had called up a memory, Chie's voice sounded in his head.

" _It's simple! You just do what you normally do, but... less."_

" _How much less?"_

" _Let's start with not giving Yukiko hypothermia and work from there."_ That conversation had never happened... had it? But now that he thought of it... that sounded familiar, and it certainly seemed like a good idea. It was worth a shot, and it wasn't like they were low on Soul Drops or anything.

"Bearsona!"

Aigis turned around. "Kumada-san, I told you it was dangerous to overuse your Persona. I hope you can fight without exerting yourself too much."

He only smiled. "Bufu."

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In Iwatodai, Mitsuru and Fuuka were looking over Aigis' reports about her new compatriots. They were especially interested in one Teddren 'Teddie' Kumada.

"Quirk report: Kumada-san has a love of puns... please tell me he's not another Ikutsuki... a broken television... Aigis, that isn't a quirk... And... uses Bufu powered roller skates?"

Mitsuru sighed. "Let's just hope it makes sense in context."

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It didn't.

Yosuke turned around. "Hey, Teddie, don't go that way, the stairs are that way!" There was a crashing sound. "...Never mind."

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"So, you stopped dyeing your hair?" Ken Amada asked his long dead leader.

The now red-haired Minato shrugged. "For some reason, it doesn't take anymore. Not that it matters. I just didn't want to be mixed up with Minako back then."

Ken looked to the ground. "Oh..."

"It's no big deal. She shows up at the Seal every now and then. We play cards. Sometimes Liz and Theo pitch in. And then Erebus destroys the table because a certain Death Shadow decided to provoke him."

"...You're weird."

"So, anyway, I was asking if you and Koromaru would come with me and Liz to Inaba Golden Week?"

"I'll think on it."

"You know, you're taking this whole thing rather calm. Mitsuru-senpai freaked out."

"It's you. You have more Persona's than I'd know what to do with, you've saved the world, and according to Elizabeth, having friends makes you stronger."

Minato sighed. "Good point. Makes me wonder how I'm still sane. For some reason, when I say that, the Reaper laughs at me."

"What kind of things are you _doing_ these days!?"

"Weird things, Ken. Really weird things. And I'm one of the sane ones."

Ken was scared.

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"Kumada-san is exhausted. We should head back for now." Aigis suggested.

From the bottom of the stairs, Teddie called up. "I'm beary much fine! Nothing a little Dia won't solve!"

Souji shook his head. "She's right. We should head back. My magic is running low."

Kuma blinked innocently. "But my big brother can handle anything, kuma!"

Souji sighed. "Maybe. But we have these teleport things to bring us right back here, and it's getting late, anyway. After this morning, my uncle will have a fit if I come home too late."

Yosuke groaned. "Please stop bringing that up."

"You're the one who thought bringing weapons to a food court, and swinging them around, was a good idea!"

Chie, meanwhile, had popped out a Goho-M and teleported away.

"Did she just ditch us here?"

"Hang on, I know Traesto... just let me get up these stairs."

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Meanwhile, in the deepest depths of Teddie's mind, things were less than straightforward. Even for him.

The crow tipped her head. "You look different, Kamui. A lot less fuzzy, amongst other things."

"Very funny." Teddie's now humanoid Shadow muttered. "It's not my fault they want him to act human, and this had to be a part of it. Just in case something happened again."

The crow kept laughing. "Shut up, Yatagarasu. What are you even doing back here, anyway? Five years is a long time, especially when no humans remember you... or some Shadows, for that matter."

"I sensed something happening again, and I had to come. Especially as it seems our master is holding back on his power."

"Other me is hardly my master. For all you know, I could just be holding out on him! Teach him to handle himself."

"And then something happens and the two of you die." Yatagarasu interjected. "I myself would be unaffected... as, unlike you, I'm hardly connected to him. This is just something I wish to do."

"Would other me having the Star Arcana be part of this?" Shadow Teddie asked.

"..Perhaps. Kamui, are you aware that less than one percent of all Shadows have that Arcana? A Star Shadow is special, and I wish to see where that leads. It is rare to see one of his kind stay true to that, even if it took him running off to join the humans for it. If he awakens to his own power, I want to be there to see it."

"That doesn't answer the question of how you are here."

"Well, an old bird has to have a few secrets of her own, doesn't she?" And that answer was not surprising. Yatagarasu was ancient, like most Free Personas. In fact, the youngest Free Persona he'd met had been... Alice. Ah, good memories. Still, for now, he'd have to put up with quite the irritating houseguest...

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Daichi: Yes, this is a thing now. All I'm gonna say about it.


	8. Full Understanding

Daichi: Verity! Get back here with that Compendium!

Verity: You won't need it for this, anyway!

Daichi: I borrowed it from Margaret! Do you want to get blown up!?

BlackGatomon: If they owned this stuff, they'd have their own Compendium.

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"Aneki, you're back!" Pharos shouted.

Minato sighed. "How many times have I told you, I'm not Minako? I wish my hair dye would still stick..."

Ryoji shrugged. "He'll get it eventually."

"Are all of you like this?"

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"Seta-san, are we going to rescue Amagi-san today?" Aigis asked.

Souji shook his head. "And miss out on sports clubs? No way!"

"Shouldn't Amagi-san's life be higher on the list of priorities?"

"But... but basketball! And I know Chie's joining soccer, so..."

Aigis sighed. "If you say so. If I am needed, you can find me working on my Social Links."

"Got it."

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She found Teddie by the Samegawa, sitting with a book in hand. "Oh, Ai-chan. I didn't know you would be here today." He nudged away a little, uncomfortable. He hadn't felt like making an expedition solo or anything, but that suddenly seemed like a good idea.

A shrug. "The police have nothing new to report, and my reports get back to my superiors in real-time."

She lay back. He watched her just lie there, shrugged, and followed her example. This didn't seem like an interrogation, anyway.

"I heard that you just transferred here, yet you seem to have no problem getting around."

"It's not beary different from where I usually live. I can bearly tell the difference at times."

"You seem... different from everyone else."

He blinked a few times. "Are you trying to make a Social Link with me?"

"What do you know about Social Links?"

"Makes a Wild Card stronger... weakens with distance but doesn't break... you're not the first Wild Card I've met, Ai-chan."

Had he somehow made her fluster? "I suppose, but... I wasn't trying to make a Social Link, I was trying to upgrade it." Well, this hopefully meant that when he inevitably had to tell them, she might not kill him. He liked living. "Maybe I'm trying too hard."

"Trying too hard?"

"Maybe I can't make friends by pushing myself on them." She sighed. "It seems I still have lots to learn about how humans think." Teddie could sympathize with that. It had been years, and he still didn't entirely understand humans.

"It can't be that bad, Ai-chan! Just bear with it and it'll all turn out fine." Aigis groaned.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Was what really necessary?"

"Never mind." Teddie felt his relationship with Aigis would grow deeper soon...

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This world... was it his involvement that had caused so much change? Aigis' presence in Inaba was definitely his fault for giving them an obvious Shadow reading, but everything else? Not that Chie joining soccer was much of a surprise. He recalled when she defeated the Reaper entirely by kicking it to death.

Admittedly, there was probably a better way to secure better armor and weaponry, but it wasn't like they could just march right up to Kirijo Group headquarters. Well, they could, it just wouldn't be healthy. No matter how many Persona-users learned of his existence, there was always one or two who didn't know and charged right ahead. Whatever trouble it may have caused the Amagi family, those emergency Evokers were definitely useful. Of course, it was highly unlikely they could get Evokers out here at the moment. Maybe he could work on that idea he had...

He had always known that a Shadow could become a Persona, and that it required control. A Shadow was a part of one's inner self. In theory, this meant that a Persona's magic was the same as the user could have.

He was a Shadow, but he didn't have any real powers of his own. Not that were useful in combat, anyway. But his Persona was a part of him, wasn't it? If it was created from him, than couldn't they share the same power?

He'd accepted what he was. But in truth, they all mostly just ignored it. It was just another of the things that made Teddie... Teddie. The only thing hinting at it was a single object in his desk drawer.

A mask noting the Star Arcana. One unmistakably his, as there was no other Shadow like him. His own Shadow had been the Moon, although the form it took as his Persona was definitely the Star.

He called upon his inner self for most of his power. Perhaps it was time he took matters into his own hands.

He made sure to have sodas on hand before he started, just in case. He had no clue why Mitsuru had seen fit to have her company branch out into soft drinks, and at this point, he wasn't asking. It was cheaper than Soul Drops, at any rate.

A deep breath. Eyes focusing at one spot. For just one moment, a flicker of gold.

"Bufu."

Not much happened besides a slightly cracked mirror, although there was frost running along it. He was overtaken by dizziness and had to sit down. The pressure of using magic, even for such a short time, exhausted him. But still, he had done it. He could use his powers.

Well, so long as he had soft drinks. And topsicles. He liked topsicles.

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"So it seems he has begun to awaken to his true potential," Yatagarasu noted. "Kamui, do you see what your other self has accomplished?"

"Obtaining seven years of bad luck?"

"That's just superstition and you know it. He is actively trying to use his powers for good."

"I thought he was already doing that. And if you're going to stay, I may start charging rent."

"You wouldn't do that."

"What makes you think so?"

"You'd have no one to talk to. One of his hidden feelings is loneliness, after all."

"How do you know more about that than me?"

The bird let out a laugh. "Maybe it's the shared Arcana. I am a Star, after all."

"The Moon is a perfectly respectable Arcana. Really." Just another day in the life.

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Daichi: Please, stop. Margaret wants the Compendium back by tomorrow. It's nine o'clock!

Verity: It'll be fine. She's not as trigger happy as her sister.


End file.
